Infant feeding device



y 1964 P. N. QUINN 3,134,494

INFANT FEEDING DEVICE Original Filed July 1. 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 5OI9. I (f INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY May 26, 1964 P. N. QUINN INFANT FEEDING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Original Filed July 1. 1957 R. O MN W N m w W M m a m 1 l W N L u A PUnited States Patent 3,134,494 INFANT FEEDING DEVIQE Paul N. Quinn, RR.2, Box 131, Bourbon, Ind. Continuation of application Ser. No. 669,201,July 1, 1957. This application Aug. 29, 1962, Ser. No. 219,362

' 6 Claims. (1. 215-11) This invention relates to an infant feedingdevice.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which excludes air from the liquid food chamber thereof at alltimes during use.

A further object is to provide a device of this character having a novelnipple provided with a positive at ing check valve.

A further object is to provide a device of this character having anipple with a check valve and a liquid food container of variablecapacity responding to atmospheric pressure to automatically reduce thecapacity thereof as food is withdrawn therefrom, so as to facilitateremoval of food therefrom without entry or" air therein.

A further object is to provide a device of this character having acomparatively rigid carrier for mounting a flexible collapsiblepressure-responsive member and a valved nipple.

A further object is to provide a device of this character wherein a partthereof is disposable after use and the remainder is reuseable.

This application is a continuation of application Serial No. 669,201,filed July 1, 1957, now abandoned.

Other objects will be apparent from the following speciflcation.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an axial sectional View illustrating one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is'a side view of a modified form of container used in thedevice, with parts thereof shown in section;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 44 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side view of another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is an axial sectional view of a portion of the device shown inFIG. 5 illustrating the mounting of a nipple thereon;

FIG. 7 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side view of a flexible container used in the constructionillustrated in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 99 of FIG. 5;

FIG. '10 is a fragmentary detail sectional view taken on line 1010 ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on line 1111 ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a member insertable in the device shownin FIG. 5 to restrict the capacity of the container shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a transverse sectional View similar to FIG. 9 andillustrating the use of the insert shown in FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an axial fragmentary sectional view of one end of a modifiedembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary axial sectional view of the opposite end of thecontainer of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 14.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 whichillustrate one embodiment of the invention, the numeral designates acontainer which may be formed of glass or plastic and which preferablyis transparent, although it will be understood that the container may beformed of other material, such as metal. The

3,134,494 Patented May 26, 1964 container has a neck 22 at one endthereof, preferably of restricted size and preferably screw-threaded inthe manner well understood in the art. The opposite end of the containeris open and preferably terminates in an outwardly projecting peripheralhead 24. A bottom or end member 26, preferably formed of rubber orsynthetic resin having at least a measure of resilience, is adapted tospan the open end of the container 2%. The closure 26 preferably has askirt portion 28 provided with an interior groove 30 to receive the bead24 for the purpose of detachably anchoring the bottom 26 to thecontainer Zti. Thus the skirt 23 has a constrictive engagement with thelower end of the bottle 20 which provides for a snap lock of the skirtaround the bead 24. The closure 26 is provided with an aperture 32therein, preferably formed centrally thereof, as illustrated and withinthe outline of an interior projection 34 forming a part of the end cap26 and here shown as of tubular or cup-shaped form.

A flexible cup-shaped member 36, preferably formed of rubber,polyethylene or other thin film material which flexes readily, ismounted in the container 20. The marginal portion 26 of the open end ofthe cup-shaped envelope or film member 36 is preferably removablyclamped continuously thereof between the bead 24 of the container andthe end wall 26. The flexible member 36 will be of a size adapted toline the member 20 terminating within the neck 22 thereof spaced fromthe open end of the neck, as illustrated in dotted lines at 40 in FIG.1.

A nipple 42 formed of rubber or any other suitable material and ofconventional, substantially cup-shaped configuration, is detachablymounted at its open end upon the member 29. In the form shown in FIG. 1wherein the neck of the member 20 is screw-threaded to receive ascrew-threaded clamping member 44 having an in-turned end flange 46, thenipple will be provided with an outwardly projecting flat flange 3$ ofcircular outline adapted to seat agm'nst and be supported at the end ofthe neck 22 and to be pressed continuously circumferentially andsealingly thereagainst by the flange 46 of the retainer 44 when thelatter has been secured to the neck by screwthreading thereon.

The nipple is provided with a check valve structure in- V termediate theends thereof, that is, spaced above the mounting end thereof as definedby the flange 48 in the FIG. 1 construction, and spaced below thedischarge openings Si) in the outer terminal end thereof. The checkvalve construction includes a disc 52 preferably formed of plastic whichis substantially rigid and shape-retaining. The disc 52 has a centralaperture 54 therein. The disc 52 is preferably seated with a sealed fitin a shallow circumferential groove formed in the interior of the nippleand defined in part by a circumferential rib or shoulder 56. A resilienttab or tongue 58 is formed integrally with the nipple 42 to extendtransversely thereof and overlie the aperture 54 in the disc 52 in itsnormal position. The tab 53 is elongated and of such length that itcompletely covers the opening 54 and overlies the disc 52 continuouslyaround the aperture 54 therein. The tab 58 is normally flat and isspaced from the circumferential rib 56 a distance equal to the thicknessof the disc 52 so that the tab normally maintains continuous sealingface engagement with the disc 52 to constitute a check valve permittingflow of liquid in the nipple in reverse direction. The tab 58 will besufilciently flexible so that it will be withdrawn from sealingengagement with the disc around the opening 54 in response to suctionexerted by an infant who has the nipple in his mouth. The side edges oftab 58 are substantially straight and its free edge is rounded andsubstantially concentric with aperture 54. The side and free end edgesof the tab are spaced from and clear of the inner surface of the nipplebody. The internal crosssectional dimension of the nipple may be greaterat its open end than at the part thereof adjacent to the groove, asshown in FIG. 6, so as to facilitate insertion and removal of disc 52for cleaning purposes when the nipple is removed from the container.

The manner of filling the bottle illustrated in FIG. 1 may varyaccording to the amount of liquid to be contained therein. In caseswhere the bottle is to be filled to its full capacity, theparts of thebottle, except the nipple, are assembled after sterilization andcleansing thereof, and the milk or other liquid food is introducedthrough the neck 22 to fill the same, whereupon the nipple is applied tothe neck. The filling of the container excludes air therefrom and theonly air which is entrapped in the nursing bottle incident to thisprocedure is that which occupies the small volume in the nipple belowthe check valve thereof. This small volume of entrapped air may beexhausted by squeezing the nipple outwardly of the valve several times.

. In cases where the quantity of liquid to be introduced in the nursingbottle is less than the full capacity thereof,

the nipple is assembled on the end thereof and the end plate 26 and theflexible member or liner 36 are removed until after the liquid food ofthe desired quantity has been introduced into the container 20 whileinverted, thereupon the liner 36 is permitted to enter the container 20to bear against the upper surface of the liquid therein and to displaceair from the container 20 before the skirt 28 is snapped in place toanchor the end member 26 and the flexible liner 36 to the container 20.By this means no air can be entrapped within the container 20, andatmospheric pressure acting upon the flexible liner 36, as permitted bythe entry of air through the opening 32, holds the liner in partiallyextended position in contact with the body. of liquid while the valve 58excludes the entry of air into the partially filled container 20 throughthe opening 54.

In the nursing or feeding operation, the infant sucks upon thenipple inthe usual manner, and this suction action unseats the valve 58 to admitliquid flowing into the outermost chamber of the nipple from which itcan flow through they discharge opening 50. As liquid is displaced fromthe container 20 in this manner, the air pressure acting against theflexible liner 36 will further extend that liner to maintain it incontact with the liquid content of the container. This eliminates theneed to displace the liquid withdrawn through the valve with air. Inother Words, the extension of the flexible liner 36 in response toatmospheric pressure reduces the cubic volume of the liquid foodreceiving chamber within the container 20 proportionally to the rate ofwithdrawal of liquid past the check valve.

In normal use, the sucking of the infant upon the nipple will fill theend chamber of the nipple outside of the check valve, and hence theexertion of squeezing pressure upon the nipple by the infant will forcethe liquid through the opening 50 for entry into the infants mouth. Suchsqueezing action alone, however, will not afiect the valve which willremain sealed or closed at that time. The sucking action by the infant,or the return of the nipple to normal shape after squeezing thereof,will open the valve to replace the liquid food taken into the mouth.This arrangement results in the substantially constant filled conditionof the outer end of the nipple being maintained during the feeding, andthus precludes the sucking of air by the infant during the feedingaction. Also, it

' will be observed that the exertion of atmospheric pressure upon theflexible liner 36, which occurs during the feeding action and suction bythe infant, assists in forcing the food through the check valve and intothe outer feeding quire. Another advantage of the action is that thetraining: of the infant to bottle feeding is simplified.

One of the principal advantages of the elimination of air in the foodchamber is that the taste of food disappears after the device has beenemptied, hence the infant tends naturally to discard the device once ithas been emptied. This reduces the attention needed to be paid byparents and nurses to remove the bottle after the feeding has ended.Furthermore, after the bottle has been emptied and the food tastedisappears, the infant will not continue to munch food-flavored airbubbles and to pass them into the stomach in the manner which heretoforehas common- 7 ly caused bloating.

tected against possibility of perforation by reason of its confinedposition. 7 V

The construction of the device illustrated in FIG. 2 is substantiallythe same as that illustrated in FIG. 1 and possesses the sameadvantages. The differences in construction reside principally in thefact that the lower end portion 23 of the container 20 in thatconstruction constitutes a reduced externally screw threaded neck andthat the skirt portion 28' of the bottom closure 26' is screwthreadedupon that reduced neck 23. The flexible liner 36 is of cup-shape and isanchored at its open end by the closure 26' continuously around the endof the neck 23 in the same manner described. The closure 26' preferablywill have the inwardly projecting members 34' to' hold the liner 36'spaced from the air'inlet opening 32' similarly to the arrangementillustrated in FIG. 1. Itwill be understood that a nipple having a checkvalve will'be mounted upon the opposite or upper end of the container20" in the same manner illustrated in FIG. 1, and that the FIG. 2 devicemay be filled from either end thereof in the same manner described abovewith reference to the FIG.

1 construction. I

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated 'in FIGS. 5 to 11,inclusive. In this construction a multiple part carrier, somewhat in thenature of a container or cage, is preferably provided. As illustrated,the carrier is formed in two parts and each part includes a neck portion70 of semi-circular or split tubular characteristic. A marginal carrierframe includes top part 72 and side parts 74, a bottom 78 and a cagestructure including longitudinal ribs o'r'bars 80 and transverse ribs orbars 82. The carrier parts are preferably formed integrally from rubber,synthetic resin or any other suitable material, although they may beformed of glass or like material. The two halves of the cage arepreferably interlocked, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. One of themarginal members 74 of each half has a hook 84 formed thereon,preferably intermediate its length, as illustrated in FIG. 5, andadapted to engage in'a groove 86 formed in the other section. 7 Also theparts may include the overlapping lips 87 shown in separation of theparts in directions transverse of the parting plane between thesections.

Tubular insert 88 fits within a tubular neck portion 30- of a flexiblesheath or liquid container 92 of a size and shape to fill the cage whenextended. The container 92 is preferably formed of rubber orpolyethylene film or any other flexible film material which isfluid-tight in character. If desired the container 92 may be prefilledwith dehydrated, concentrated or condensed food, and may be formed ofdisposable material. An enlarged flange 54 surrounds the open end of theneck 90 of the container and is adapted to seat against the end of theneck portion 70 of the cage. The tube 88 has an outwardly projectingflange 96 at its end adapted to bear against the container flange 54 andto hold the same against the end of the tube neck 70 of the cage, asseen in FIG. 6. The parts forming the neck 7b are preferably enlarged attheir ends and are configured in a manner to provide, in cooperationwith the rounded configuration of the flange 96, a substantially roundedhead assembly.

The container 92 preferably has a tab 93 at its end pposite the neck 90thereof, and this tab is provided with an aperture 100 preferablylocated in the center plane thereof and adapted to be positioned betweenthe confronting edges of the bottom section '78 of the cage. One of thebottom sections 73 is preferably recessed or cut away at 102 adjacentthe tab 98 to receive and accommodate a hook 164 on the other bottomsection which passes through the aperture 1% of the tab 93 of thecontainer 92.

A nipple is mounted upon the neck portion 79 of the carrier afterassembling container 92 and tubular insert 88. The nipple is of the sameconstruction described above with the exception that it is of theconstrictive type rather than the type which is anchored by means of thescrew-threaded retainer. In other words, the body of the nipple isprovided with an internal circumferential groove 1% spaced from itsmouth and adapted for a constrictive fit upon the bead defined by flange6 and associated parts, as best seen in FIG. 6. The nipple may includetongues 108 projecting from the sides thereof at the open end thereof tofacilitate stretching thereof for insertion upon and removal from itsmounting on the car ier. The nipple will include the check valve,including the tab 58, the disc 52, apertured at 54 and spanned by thetab 58, and generally of the construction heretofore illustrated anddescribed.

In this construction the container 92 is filled to the desired extentthrough the neck opening 9 and the flexibility of the container, coupledwith the exposure thereof to atmospheric pressure, excludes air when itis completely filled. Application of the nipple permits only a smallquantity of air to be confined within the device below the level of thecheck valve disc 52 and above the level to which the container isfilled. This small amount of air is not detrimental to the device butmay be exhausted by slight compression of bag 92 to raise the liquidlevel inu the device to the level of the disc 52. As the infant sucksupon the nipple to draw liquid food therefrom, the outer feeding chamberof the nipple becomes filled, and atmospheric pressure acting upon theflexible envelope 92 reduces the volume of the envelope while the checkvalve prevents the entry of air into the envelope to replace the liquidfood withdrawn. It will be apparent, therefore, that the operation ofthe device and the achievement of the results sought therein is similarto the operation of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in H6.1.

One of the advantages of the construction illustrated in FIG. is thatmeans may be provided therein to accommodate partial filling only of theflexible envelope 92, so that air can be excluded therefrom even thoughthe same is only partially filled. This result can be accomplished byuse of a shield or partition member of the character illustrated in FIG.12. The member 110 may be of any size or shape desired and is mountedwithin a cage alongside the flexible envelope 92 in the mannerillustrated in FIG. 13. Member 118* may have an apertured tab 111 foranchorage by a hook 104. The size of the member 110 serves to regulatethe cubic capacity of the envelope 92 when confined within the cage, asillustrated in FIG. 13, and thereby limits the extent to which theenvelope can be filled. To the extent that it can be filled, all air 6is excluded therefrom when it is filled to a selected level, and theexclusion of air is as effective when filled to only partial capacity inthis manner as air exclusion is effective when the envelope 92 iscompletely filled. It will be apparent that a plurality of members 116of different sizes and configurations may be provided for each cage andthat the difference in the shape and size of these members may regulatethe liquid capacity of the envelope 92 in each case. Thus by supplying aset of members with the device illustrated in FIG. 5, it is possible touse the device effectively for air-excluding purposes during the fullperiod when an infant is on a liquid diet, and, by the simple operationof successively replacing the inserts 110 with progressively smallerunits, the feeding capacity of the device can be increased as suchincreases in capacity are required. Also, it is possible to mount twomembers in the cage in opposing relation to provide a desired capacityof the container. The container 92 may be of prefilled disposablecharacter if desired.

It is possible to provide the advantages of my device in a unit ofgenerally disposable character. One example of such a device isillustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15. In this instance a container ofdisposable character, such as a waxed paper container 129, is providedwith a bottom 122 suitably anchored therein and anchoring between thesame and the container wall the open marginal end portion of a flexibleliquid-proof film member 124 of a character similar to that used inFIG. 1. An air intake opening 126 will be provided in the bottom 122.The opposite end of the container 120 is preferably sealed by a cap 128having a marginally crimped bead forming rim 130 providing sealedconnection between the same and the closure 128. However, cap 123 may beremovably mounted on the container 120. The closure 128 will preferablybe formed of wax paper or other disposable and readily perforatedmaterial. The bead 130 will provide means for anchorage of a nipple ofthe character and construction illustrated in FIG. 6 and provided withthe check valve parts 52, 58, as previously described.

The arrangement of this construction makes possible the packaging ofliquid food in a container and its dispensing for ready use. Preferablythe liquid food would be in dehydrated or concentrated or condensedform, to be prepared in condition for use by filling the container 120with warm water introduced through an opening 134 in the cap 138 formedby a user when use thereof is required. After the introduction of thewarm water, the nipple 42 can be applied and the device is ready for useas soon as the dehydrated food 132 becomes thoroughly mixed in thewater. It will be understood, of course,

that after the single use of the container it can be thrown away and thenipple will be applied to a different container when the next infantfeeding period occurs.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustratedand described, it will be understood that changes in the constructionmay be made within the scope of the appended claims without departingfrom the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An infant feeding device comprising a container having a rigid neckportion, a flexible liquid bag within said container responsive toatmospheric pressure to reduce the cubic capacity theerof as liquid iswithdrawn therefrom, the open end of said bag being folded over the endof said rigid neck portion, a resilient nipple having a supportingportion on one end thereof and a restricted discharge aperture in theother end thereof, said supporting portion being supported on and sealedto the end of said neck portion with the folded end of the bag tightlycompressed therebetween, said nipple having an inwardly presentingannular groove intermediate the ends thereof, a valve disc removablyseated in said groove and having an aperture therein, and a resilient,flap-like tongue projecting inwardly from an inner surface of saidnipple and normally bearing on the surface of said valve disc facing 7said discharge aperture to provide a flap spanning and closing theaperture in said disc, said valve disc and tongue constituting anormally closed check valve accommodating passage of liquid therethroughfrom said bag and preventing the flow of air and liquid therepast intosaid bag.

2. An infant feeding device comprising a container having a rigid neckportion, a flexible liquid bag within said container responsive toatmospheric pressure to reduce the cubic capacity'thereof as liquid iswithdrawn therefrom, the open end of said bag being folded over the endof said rigid neck portion, a resilient nipple having a supportingportion on one end thereof and a restricted discharge aperture'in theother end thereof, said supporting portion being supported on and sealedto the end of said neck portion with the folded end of the bag tightlycompressed therebetween, said nipple having an inwardly presentingannular groove intermediate the ends thereof, a valve disc removablyseated in said groove and having an aperture therein, and a resilientflap-like tongue projecting inwardly from an inner surface of saidnipple and normally bearing on the surface of said valve disc facingsaid discharge aperture to providea flap spanning and closing theaperture in said disc, said valve disc and tongue constituting anormally closed check valve accommodating passage of liquid therethroughfrom said bag and preventing the flow of air and liquid therepast intosaid bag, and a partition removably mounted within said container inposition to reduce the volume of the container occupied by said flexiblebag whereby the cubic capacity of said bag is controlled by saidpartition.

3. A resilient nipple having a supporting portion on one end thereofadapted to be mounted on a liquid container having a rigid neck portionand a flexible portion responsive to atmospheric pressure to reduce thecubic capacity thereof as liquid is withdrawn therefrom, the other endof said nipple having a restricted discharge aperture therein, saidnipple having an inwardly present. ing annular groove intermediate theends thereof, a valve disc removably seated in said groove and having anaperture therein, and a resilient flap-like tongue integral with andprojecting inwardly from the inner surface of said nipple and normallybearing on the surface of said valve disc facing said discharge apertureto provide a flap spanning and closing the aperture in said disc, saidvalve disc and tongue constituting a normally closed check valveaccommodating passage of liquid therethrough from the container andpreventing the flow of air and liquid therepast into the container.

4. An infant feeding device comprising a container having a resilientnipple thereon for dispensing liquid from the container, said containercontaining a flexible portion responsive to atmospheric pressure toreduce the cubic capacity of the container as liquid is drawn therefrom,said nipple having a supporting portion on one end thereof mounted onthe container and a restricted discharge aperture in the other endthereof, a valve disc removably seated in said nipple intermediate theends thereof and having an aperture therein, and a resilient flap-liketongue aflixed to and projecting inwardly from'the inner surface of saidnipple and normally bearing on the surface of said valve disc facingsaid discharge aperture to provide a flap spanning and closing theaperture in said disc, said disc and tongue constituting a normallyclosed check valve accom modating passage of liquid therethrough fromthe container and preventing the flow of air and liquid back into' thecontainer.

5. An infant feeding device comprising a container having a resilientnipple thereon for dispensing a liquid from the container, saidcontainer including a flexible portion responsive to atmosphericpressure to reduce the cubic capacity of the container as liquid iswithdrawn therefrom, and a normally closed pressure responsive valvebetween said nipple and container to define a separate chamber withinsaid nipple which is normally completely sealed off from the spaceWithin said container by the normally closed pressure responsive valve;said normally closed pressure responsive valve opening in response to areduction in pressure in said separate chamber coupled with atmosphericpressure acting on said flexible portion to allow liquid to passtherethrough into said separate chamber, said normally closed checkvalve at all times preventing the flow of air and liquid from saidseparate chamber back into the container.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein said normally closedpressure responsive valve comprises a References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,431,762 Sellers Oct. 10, 19222,133,411 Zohe Oct. 18, 1938 2,987,209

Leonard June 6, 1961

1. AN INFANT FEEDING DEVICE COMPRISING A CONTAINER HAVING A RIGID NECKPORTION, A FLEXIBLE LIQUID BAG WITHIN SAID CONTAINER RESPONSIVE TOATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE TO REDUCE THE CUBIC CAPACITY THEREOF AS LIQUID ISWITHDRAWN THEREFROM, THE OPEN END OF SAID BAG BEING FOLDED OVER THE ENDOF SAID RIGID NECK PORTION, A RESILIENT NIPPLE HAVING A SUPPORTINGPORTION ON ONE END THEREOF AND A RESTRICTED DISCHARGE APERTURE IN THEOTHER END THEREOF, SAID SUPPORTING PORTION BEING SUPPORTED ON AND SEALEDTO THE END OF SAID NECK PORTION WITH THE FOLDED END OF THE BAG TIGHTLYCOMPRESSED THEREBETWEEN, SAID NIPPLE HAVING AN INWARDLY PRESENTINGANNULAR GROOVE INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF, A VALVE DISC REMOVABLYSEATED IN SAID GROOVE AND HAVING